Hose clamps

ABSTRACT

Connecting the two band ends  10, 18  of a hose clamp is done by means of a guide hook  16  disposed on an inner band portion and engaging a guide hook receiving means  12  on the outer band end  10 , and a support hook  17  also formed on the inner band portion and engaging a support hook receiving means  13  on the outer band portion. The support hook receiving means  13  is an embossment formed from the band material by cold deformation and being continuous with the band material on all sides, the inner surface of the support hook receiving means  13  having a support portion  25  adjacent to the outer band end  10  and extending at right angles with respect to the band surface. The support hook  17  has a nose  26  which faces away from the inner band end  18  and has a cut edge which nicks into the support portion  25  of the support hook receiving means  13  when the hose clamp is tightened. Since the support hook receiving means  13  is entirely continuous with the band material, it has a much higher stability then conventional cut-outs or windows formed in the band.

BACKGROUND

U.S. Pat. No. 4,299,012 discloses a conventional hose clamp. The innersurface of this hose clamp, in the tightened condition, is free of gapsand steps; therefore, it supports the hose at all locations of itsperiphery. As a result, the known clamp has been found suitable formounting thin, hard hoses to pipe nipples.

For connecting the outer band end with the inner band portion, the knownhose clamp has a guide hook and at least one holding or support hookdisposed on the inner band portion. In the closed condition, each of theguide and support hooks engages a window formed in the outer bandportion.

In hoses of decreasing thickness and elasticity and with thecorrespondingly increasing tightening forces required, the hookconnection becomes a weak point. Thus, the window next to the tighteningmeans, which may be a so-called “Oetiker-ear”, tends to extend andfinally tear under excessive forces. This problem may be overcome byusing a more elastic higher quality steel but this increases cost.

SUMMARY

The disclosed embodiments at least in part avoid such disadvantages asoccur with comparable hose clamps of the prior art.

More specifically, the disclosed embodiments provide an improvement ofthe hook connection of a hose clamp, specifically with respect to itsstability.

In accordance with the disclosed embodiments, the means for receivingthe support hook is no longer formed as a cut-out or window but as anembossment which is cold-deformed from the band material and which isclosed on all sides and therefore capable of taking up essentiallyhigher forces. To achieve an anchoring of the support hook in thesupport hook receiving means, a support portion of the receiving meanshas an inner surface extending at an angle of at least 90° with respectto the band surface. The support hook has a nose by which it may hookinto this support portion. The closed shape of the receiving means hasthe additional advantage that the support hook does not protrudeoutward; thus, it does not involve a risk of injury.

In accordance with at least one disclosed embodiment, the support hookitself is also stamped from the band material by cold deformation and iscut-out only in the area of its nose. This shape provides the supporthook with high stability.

In accordance with at least one disclosed embodiment, the shape causesthe nose of the support hook to assume the desired position at thesupport surface of the support hook receiving means when the hose clampis closed.

In accordance with at least one disclosed embodiment, similar shape andstability are given also to the guide hook and the guide hook receivingmeans, wherein this receiving means, however, has an opening for passinga tip provided on the guiding hook. The tip, which may be produced by anL-shaped cut in the band material, may effect a mutual centring of thetwo band ends upon engagement and retain the support hook in engagementwith its receiving means already in the non-tightened condition of thehose clamp.

In accordance with at least one disclosed embodiment, the tip of theguide hook extends substantially parallel to the band surface and in itsengaged condition overlaps the band material adjacent to the opening inthe guide hook receiving means. In this embodiment, the closed conditionof the clamp may be fixed by a knock on the guide hook receiving means.This type of fixation is simpler than bending a tab-like guide hookpassed through a guiding slot, as is done in the prior art.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

An embodiment of the invention will be explained in more detail belowwith reference to the drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal section through a hose clamp in a straightcondition in which it has not yet been bent to form a ring,

FIG. 2 is a top view of the hose clamp according to FIG. 1, and

FIG. 3 is an enlarged longitudinal section through a part of theoverlapping portion of the hose clamp, showing the hook arrangement inthe engaged condition.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The hose clamp shown in the drawing includes the following features,starting from the right-hand band end 10 according to FIGS. 1 and 2,which end is on the outer side in the closed condition of the hoseclamp, which features are formed by cold deformation from the steel band11: a guide hook receiving means 12, a support hook receiving means 13,a tightening means in the form of a so-called “Oetiker ear” 14, a tongueguide 15, a guide hook 16, a support hook 17 and a tongue 19, the tonguebeing at the other band end 18 which is on the inner side in the closedcondition of the hose clamp.

In the closed condition of the hose clamp shown in FIG. 3, the guidehook 16 engages the guide hook receiving means 12, the support hook 17engages the support hook receiving means 13, and the tongue 19 engagesthe tongue guide 15.

To tighten the clamp by reducing its diameter, a plier-type tool (notshown) is applied to the two legs 20 of the tightening ear 14 whichextend at substantially right angles from the band, in order to reducethe spacing between the ends of the legs 20 connected to the band 11. Abead 21 provided in the tightening ear 14 prevents the webinterconnecting the legs 20 from buckling.

The support hook receiving means 13 is stamped from the band material bycold deformation and, as best seen in FIGS. 2 and 3, is closedthroughout its periphery so as to be completely continuous with the bandmaterial. The inner surface of the support hook receiving means 13 has asupport portion 25 adjacent to the outer band end 10, which supportportion forms an angle of 90° with the band surface.

The support hook 17 is also stamped from the band material by colddeformation and is continuous with the band material throughout itsperiphery except at a location remote from the inner band end. At thislocation, the support hook 17 is separated from the band material by acut performed prior to the deformation to create a nose 26 protrudingbeyond the thickness of the band 11.

The roof surface 27 of the nose 26 and the upper inner surface 28 of thesupport hook receiving means 13 extend parallel to the surface of theband 11. This contributes to the nose 26 being guided toward the supportportion 25 when the clamp is closed. The forces which occur when theclamp is tightened and which act in the longitudinal direction of theband cause the cut edge of the nose 26 to nick into the support portion25 of the support hook receiving means 13.

The guide hook receiving means 12 is also stamped from the band materialby cold deformation and has an opening 30 formed by a cut in the bandmaterial at the side nearer to the outer band end 10, the receivingmeans being otherwise continuous with the band material throughout itsremaining periphery.

Finally, the guide hook 16 is also stamped from the band material bycold deformation and is continuous with the band material except at itsside remote from the inner band end 18. At the side remote from theinner band end 18, the guide hook 16 is separated from the band materialby an overall L-shaped cut formed by two straight lines. The L-shapedcut has a tip pointing away from the inner band end 18. In this way, thebent-out support hook 16 is formed with a triangular tip 31 pointingaway from the inner band end.

The tip 31 of the guide hook 16 and the roof surface of the guide hookreceiving means 12 extend parallel to the band surface.

When the hose clamp is closed and the guide hook 16 engages the guidehook receiving means 12, the tip 31 is passed through the opening 30 ofthe guide hook receiving means 12 extending perpendicularly to the bandsurface and comes to lie on the portion of the band 11 adjacent to theopening 30. The two band ends 10, 18 are thus mutually centred, and thesupport hook 17 is retained within the support hook receiving means 13before the hose clamp is tightened.

Upon closing the hose clamp, the engagement between the guide hook 16and the guide hook receiving means 12 is fixed by a knock on the guidehook receiving means 12. Thereafter, the hose clamp is tightened aroundthe respective object, such as a nipple-hose connection, by narrowingthe tightening ear 14. During this action, the tongue 19 moves withinthe tongue guide 15. In the completely tightened condition, theunavoidable gap between the inner ends of the legs 20 of the tighteningear 14 is overlapped by the full width of the inner band portionadjacent to the tongue 19.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

-   10 outer band end-   11 band-   12 guide hook receiving means-   13 support hook receiving means-   14 tightening ear-   15 tongue guide-   16 guide hook-   17 support hook-   18 inner band end-   19 tongue-   20 legs of 14-   21 bead in 14-   25 support portion of 13-   26 nose of 17-   27 roof surface of 17-   28 upper inner surface of 13-   30 opening of 12-   31 tip of 16

The invention claimed is:
 1. A hose clamp formed of a band with mutuallyoverlapping inner and outer band ends, comprising: guide hook receivingmeans formed near said outer band end; a guide hook disposed on an innerband portion for engagement with said guide hook receiving means;support hook receiving means disposed in an outer band portion by anembossment formed from the band material and closed on all sides, aninner surface of said support hook receiving means having a supportportion adjacent to said outer band end, said support portion forming anangle of at least 90° with an outer surface of the band; a support hookdisposed on said inner band portion and spaced from said guide hooktoward said inner band end for engaging said support hook receivingmeans, the support hook having a nose pointing away from said inner bandend for engaging the support portion of said support hook receivingmeans; and tightening means for reducing the diameter of the hose clamp.2. The hose clamp of claim 1, wherein said support hook is an embossmentformed from the band material and being cut-out only within the area ofsaid nose.
 3. The hose clamp of claim 1, wherein a roof surface of saidsupport hook and an upper inner surface of said support hook receivingmeans extend parallel to the surface of the band.
 4. The hose clamp ofclaim 1, wherein said guide hook receiving means is an embossment formedfrom the band material and having an opening facing said outer band endand extending at substantially right angles with respect to the surfaceof the band, and said guide hook is an embossment formed from the bandmaterial and having a tip pointing toward said outer band end forpassing through said opening of the guide hook receiving means.
 5. Thehose clamp of claim 4, wherein said tip of said guide hook extendssubstantially parallel to the surface of the band and, in the closedcondition of the hose clamp, overlaps a portion of the band adjacentsaid opening of said guide hook receiving means.
 6. The hose clamp ofclaim 4, wherein said tip of said guide hook is formed by an L-shapedcut in the band material.